Guide:SeaCrane1's Black Lung Guide
Whether you're into Fireteam or not, Black Lung is an often overlooked, rather challenging game mode. It takes place in a mine shaft (as you probably already know) and lasts for 12 rounds of intense close-quarters warfare, with added objectives and various other things not found in other Fireteam maps, like usable Dynamite grenades and destructible generators. I'm going to try to make this nice and comprehensive for you guys, but I'll update it every so often. After all, you learn something new every day! Lobby Prep (Note, explosives like mines won't be mentioned much here. Support weapons can vary due to personal preference) The key to a good game is having the right gear. As such, it's important to stock up with the right stuff. There are a few different things to take into account: *''Do you want to run around quickly or tank explosions and blows from the Infected?'' *''Are you more of an aggressive player, or do you feel like you fit the support role more?'' *''Do you want enough ammo to mow everything down, or do you want to cluster everything and blow it up?'' ::This section entirely uses low-rank GP gear. Nothing listed here, even the weapons, will have a Rank Requirement above Command Sergeant Major IV, and most of it will be at Master Sergeant or under. :For the aggressive runner, a nice, very basic set of gear would include the Combat Beanie/i-Pop Hat, Wasteland Goggles, Light Vest, and an Advanced Backpack. Recommended weapons include the PP-19, K3, K1A, and other light SMGs, ARs, or MGs. It's always advised to carry at least one MG with you at all times. :If tanking's more your thing (and speed isn't any issue) try the following setup: the IBH, Wasteland Goggles (for a slight stamina boost), a Heavy Vest, and at least an Advanced Backpack. Weapons include the M60, RPK, or the ACR. Go for high-powered weapons and/or ones with easy-to-control recoil. :For the Explosives nut, it's recommended to use the speed gear listed two sections above. At the very least, get a Light Vest for maneuverability. Essentially, you'll want one Light Machine Gun, probably an M60, an M79 for tight situations (since it has a small splash-radius), an HE Grenade of some sort (be it Dynamite HE or an M69HE Frag), and an M67 Frag Pack. Note, the Explosives setup doesn't work very effectively until Round 7, when the area you're in is much more open. :Want to blast everything away? Then buy an Advanced Backpack, an RPK, an M60, and a PP19. The machine guns should give you enough ammo to dominate anything nearby, and when you run out on your MGs and can't find any red boxes, the PP19 is a nice back-up gun. For Gear, try the i-Pop Hat, a Heavy Vest, and mix and match with other gear items. :This next section will focus on NX gear and weapons. All gear and weaponry in this section is NX Standard, so for most, there will be a superior NX Rare variant. By all means use it if you are lucky enough to own it. If there is an NX variant of a GP weapon shown above, use it if you own it. :If you're a runner with NX, consider using the Cyclops Bandana plus the Patriot Skull Mask (Australian preferred) or the Prankster Bandana. Don't forget your Recon Vest as well. In your Terrain Backpack, carry one or two powerful MGs such as the MG42 Steel or MG36. M60 Steel works well too. Also bring at least two good SMGs and ARs. The MP7 MOD works because of its impressive Portability, as with the T-2. The M249 Para has great power for the job too, but when moving, move with the T-2 or MP7 MOD equipped. As for ARs, use one that, when combined with the GP iTech sight, can score Headshots easily. Examples would be the G3, M4A1 Desert Warrior and the Carbon 15. :For those tanks who don't need no stinkin speed to destroy the Infected, try the Tanker Vest or Hauser plus the Chemical Gas Mask and Shapka, or the Force Warrior Helmet, for the little speed you need. Pack the Terrain Backpack with an MG36, M60 Steel and an M21E, with a PP-19 MOD in reserve, for if you run out of precious ammo and have to rely on yellow boxes. :For those who want to blow up everything in the mine, bring an MZP-1 with an M60 Steel, M69HE Frag-NL, M67 Frag Pack and standard GP M69HE Frag as well as the Runner gear above. :If you're a Black Lung marksman, bring two powerful snipers such as the L96A1 Arctic Wolf or the FR F2, as well as some sort of MG and an SMG. Bring the Runner's gear. : Specialists If you decide to equip a Specialist for the game, it is completely fine too. Recommended Specialist Weapons *First Aid Kit *Minigun *Flamethrower *Medkit *M32 Incendiary Bomb *M32 *Remote Grenade Not recommended weapons: *Stamina Kit *Airstrike Napalm/LGB - *Caltrops - gets easily destroyed by explosives, so the caltrops won't last long in the heat of the battle *Hornets - similar to mines, if you accidently were near the hornet's explosion, you end up killing yourself. *Claymore *Turret *M32 Stun Grenade *Satellite Scanner The Upstairs The beginning of Black Lung (rounds 1-6) take place in the upper level of the mine. Here's a round-by-round breakdown of the game. Rounds 1-3 (Work in Progress) Round 1 Round 1 really shouldn't be hard. If you have difficulty on here, I have no idea how to help you :P Essentially, stick at least two people on each direction. Typically the right side will spawn the final Infected. Round 2 This is when the downstairs door opens up. It's recommended to put at least one person behind the rest of you, typically by the elevator, to watch your backs. Other than that, same idea as Round 1. Round 3 This is where things start to get tricky. The gates to the stairs open up and Witches start to spawn! Have a person or two already designated to guard the stairs (depending on the difficulty). Whatever happens, make sure that if you're one of those people, don't leave your post! It doesn't matter if you can pick up more kills by moving. An open entrance is practically asking to get overrun. And before you say anything about "Oh, it's only Round 3. Don't be so into it," this is the attitude you want to have throughout the entire game. In order to win in Black Lung, you can't be a Lone Ranger hotshot. You have to work as a part of a cohesive unit. Rounds 4-6 Round 4 This really isn't much different from Round 3. More stuff spawns, so make sure you're attentive to your positions. If necessary, you can move back a bit from the stairs or whatever position you're in at the time, but make sure you let your team know what you're doing. They key idea here is not to allow anything to sneak up on people, especially not explosive Infected. Round 5 Oh boy, Round 5! This is when Colonel Coleman starts yelling at you about the Generator. My advice for this: Whoever has the lowest score (which does include kill count, since you can have the lowest score, but the highest amount of kills) gets stuck on Generator duty. Yeah, it's one less gun, but if they're in dead last, they probably weren't doing much anyway. Essentially, whenever the Generator breaks, they fix it. The person on Generator duty can also provide backup for the person on the stairs. Round 6 This is where it gets pretty crucial to have everyone's backs: literally. The blast doors across from the staircase open up, allowing Infected to come in from behind the front-line defenders at sometimes alarming rates. Make sure you have one person at the stairs and one person watching the blast doors. That way, everyone is covered. If needed, both people in the back can help the other. If everything falls apart and goes to hell in a hamster ball, move when needed. Just remember to once again notify people when you do. Once you fight through everything, moving as needed, you'll hit the cinematic and descend into the lower mines. If you've made it this far, then kudos to you my friend! However, the fight is far from over. The Downstairs No "that's what she said" jokes about the title! The main thing to keep in mind here is that strategies don't have to change very much over time. Your objectives only change every two rounds or so, and as such, this guide will group rounds together. Use the various objects on the bottom floor to your advantage! There are miniature walls and temporarily inactive generators you can use as cover or jump over to stall the approach of the Infected. Rounds 7-12 Round 7/8 How you play these rounds sets up the tone of the rest of the game. After descending, you'll find Infected pouring in from all sides, including the elevator you just came out of. There are a total of up to seven locations the Infected can filter through. I've seen multiple ways of handling this multiple entrance scenario, but the most "profitable" in terms of points is to leave the elevator doors open (since you have the option of shooting them and collapsing the entrance), assign a person to each spot, and have one floater to help where needed. This is only recommended if you have an experienced, coordinated team, however, as a group that cannot work together can easily get overwhelmed. Once again, when you're assigned to a spot, stick to it. Probably the most important thing not related directly to strategy is the appearance of the Enforcers on Round 7. Don't run away if confronted by one. Instead, unleash a steady stream of bullets at its head/upper torso, and you'll be able to kill it rather quickly. If you find yourself being overrun, call for help. For those of you using Specialists, place Medkits in the corner to the left of the buried elevator and in the far right corner of the same side of the map. If you're careful and don't lead any Infected towards the kits, they should remain untouched until Round 10. Round 9 This is Nexon's attempt to make things more difficult for you. However, it's far from hard to accomplish your new mission. The generators that were inactive before now become vital mission points. The Assault Maulers make a reappearance and attempt to bash the power supplies. All you need to do is keep one of the generators alive. The key here is to focus on one generator and keep it going. The rest can burn. Besides that, stick to all normal strategies. Round 10/11/12 This is where things get interesting and heavy. At the start of Round 10, the Infected break through the fence doors around the sides, creating about 4 new entrances for them to stream through. As with Round 7, if you have an experienced team that can work extremely well together and each member can hold their own, feel free to leave these open and get as many points as possible. Make sure to have your Runner be the floater. If necessary, use the Dynamites that spawn all around the area. Also, around this time, the Control Center in the middle of the map becomes a target for Assault Maulers. Keep it safe until the end. Specialists will likely want to move their Medkits from the far right corner to the sides of the miniature walls by the elevator. Other viable spots include behind the Control Center (but only if you watch where you kill the exploding Infected) and in the alcove by the large entrance. Enforcers start to appear 6 or more at a time around Round 11, and since there's much less area to move around than in Cabin Fever, you may find yourself backed into a corner. Just remember, keep moving, utilize the mini-walls, and aim your shots. When you've finally reached Round 12, get out of there as soon as possible, but don't immediately let your guard down. There's a time limit at which the door opens. Have someone, most likely your floater, camp the entrance to the water pipe until it opens. Once they go in, follow them. And there you have it! Once again, this is a constant work in progress, so I'll be adding and taking stuff out. If you want to add something, contact me first on my Message Wall. Category:Guides Category:Walkthroughs